A Novel Based on a True Story
A few years ago, we met writer Chris Orcutt in New York, and over dinner mentioned that we had recently solved a case involving art fraud. Orcutt was intrigued. Later on, he asked for our permission to write a novel based on the case. We agreed.
While he changed the names of the suspects and others involved, he remained true to the spirit and arc of the investigation. Overall we are very pleased with his presentation of us in the novel. Check out his description of us in this PDF ad for the novel: A Real Piece of Work Flyer.
What’s the Novel About?
Rather than try to outdo how Chris Orcutt describes the novel, here is a snippet from his own synopsis:
“A Real Piece of Work delves into a world of forged and stolen art, secret identities and murder. In a case that leads from Manhattan to the Catskills to Washington, D.C., what begins as the simple recovery of a painting soon reveals an international art scam and a chilling secret that has remained hidden since WWII.”
How much of the novel is true?
A lot. Obviously, though, in order to tell a compelling story, Orcutt glamorized and embellished certain characters and parts of the case. The only person he didn’t have to embellish, however, was Svetlana; she is every bit as brilliant and witty as he makes her out to be.
Will there be more novels based on your cases?
The answer to that is, yes, probably. Orcutt has already written the second novel in the series, The Rich Are Different, and as we understand it, has created outlines for 4 others. However, he will only release the second novel if the first one sells over 1,000 copies, so buy a copy and get your friends to buy one. At $4.99 on Kindle, it’s less than a traditional paperback, and it’s worth at least 5x that in entertainment value.
Where can I get a copy of A Real Piece of Work?
The novel is being published exclusively in Amazon Kindle format, but you don’t need a Kindle to read it. With the free Kindle app, you can read the novel on your computer, iPhone, or, how Svetlana does, on your iPad. You can buy the book here.
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A Real Piece of Work — Table of Contents
Because there are many chapters—too many to list here—you can download the table of contents as a PDF: TOC for A Real Piece of Work by Chris Orcutt
